Sunday 18 October 2026 – new and updated items first

The serious shortage of some prescription medicines in SWF and elsewhere continues and worsens. Common medications like ramipril, co-codamol, and dispersible aspirin are affected. Link to current information is at Current Drug Shortages List – Drugs.com . Please don’t blame pharmacy or GP staff; it isn’t their fault.

On Thursday the Minister of State for Secondary Care, Karin Smyth MP, said in a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament about improvement plan for Mid & South NHS Essex Foundation Trust, which runs Basildon, Broomfield and Southend Hospitals:

“Better organisation across sites and stronger clinical integration should improve patient experience, reduce delays and raise quality for patients. The clinical strategy will make greater use of neighbourhood and community care in line with [the Government’s] 10-year plan and focus on maternity and planned care treatment. This is backed by £80 million for Southend hospital’s long-standing structural estate problems and support for a neighbourhood health centre in Maldon.” This may indicate the plans for St Peter’s Hospital’s future.

From Monday 2 November 2026 the Minor Injuries Unit will move from Orsett Hospital to Thurrock Community Hospital, Long Lane, Grays, RM16 2PX. That’s not much further from SWF and takes about 30 minutes to reach it. This brings the service into more modern facilities at the John Tallack Centre, alongside the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC). Patients will be able to access minor injury care, tests and diagnosis more easily in one place. The service will continue to offer walk-in care seven days a week, from 1000 to 1530, for minor injuries such as wounds, bumps, sprains, suspected broken bones, minor eye injuries and minor burns. It will use x-ray facilities at the CDC which operate 0800-2000 every day.

The same experienced team will continue to provide care, and the new location will offer a larger waiting area and free parking. The MIU at Orsett Hospital will close its doors at 12noon on Friday 30 October. If appropriate this offers a more appropriate and quicker service than visiting an A&E.

National flu, COVID-19, RSV, Norovirus & Rotavirus surveillance reports have restarted. In week 41 to 11 October:

• Flu activity remained stable and is circulating at baseline levels; A&E attendances above seasonal norm. The latest data shows that activity throughout September has been higher than in the same period during all past 4 winter seasons. While still at baseline (very low) levels, flu trends have been rising since August and there are possible signs that we may see an early flu season. If you’re eligible please get vaccinated.
• COVID-19 activity showed mixed trends and is circulating at low levels; hospital admissions increased to 2.46% per 100,000 from 2.13% the previous week;  
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity increased and is circulating at baseline levels. Positivity increased to 1.1% from 0.7% in the previous week. Hospitalisations increased to 0.23% from 0.13%.
• Norovirus activity has varied in recent weeks and remains within expected levels for this time of year.
• Rotavirus activity was 19.7% higher than the 5-season average and remains within expected levels.

UKHSA has declared a national outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning. As of 15 September two people have died and there have been 586 confirmed cases, mostly in the last year, up 37 in last week. Cases are associated with eating eggs at various food outlets, including small cafes, restaurants and takeaway businesses, not eggs cooked at home. It’s believed the outbreak is linked to imported eggs. About a third needed hospital care. Don’t eat undercooked food. A new Food Alert has been issues by The Food Standards Agency (FSA) after finding a new variant in eggs from a Ukrainian supplier contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis. These eggs may be available for retail sail in small shops. The FSA says eggs bought in major supermarkets are produced in the UK and aren’t affected. Eggs thoroughly cooked and handled hygienically shouldn’t present food safety risk. Infants, young children, pregnant women and older adults only et raw or lightly cooked eggs if the carry the British Lion mark or are produced under the Laid in Britain scheme.

UKHSA is concerned that almost 75% of eligible young people remain unprotected against MenB (meningitis). Please encourage those eligible to get vaccinated; they are:

• Everyone born between 01/09/2007 and 31/08/2008
• Young people under 25 (born on or after 21/07/2001) who are starting higher education for the first time, or who will be starting further education for the first time as a residential student, in autumn 2026
• International students under 25 entering their first year of university. They should receive their first dose in their home country where possible.

A&Es and ambulances in England saw a record number of patients in September, showing “ominous” signs of winter pressure building in hospitals across the country. Plans for ‘winter pressures’ are in place across NHS England, including in NHS Essex. September had its busiest ever month with 2.44m patients attending A&E and 806,707 ambulance incidents. NHS England delivered a record 4.7m planned treatments, procedures and appointments during June, July and August.

‘The Big Conversation on Care’ provides the opportunity to say what we want and expect from a future National Care Service. We’ll arrange a SWF consultation. This is now more important than ever with the Prime Minister setting out plans for a new National Care Service to be established in the next Parliament, providing free personal care for older people, based on need rather than ability to pay. For a long time we have recognised and said that the pressures on the NHS will only be reduced when the social care system is improved.

Should we be worried about the current COVID-19 variants? XFG, sometimes referred to as the Stratus variant and ‘American Covid’ remains the most common current COVID-19 variant. It isn’t new and has been circulating in the UK and other countries for around a year. What have we seen so far this season? UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows that COVID-19 positive test rates rose to around 7% in September, with hospital admission rates increasing by approximately 50% over the same period. These increases have been consistent across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as across Europe and the United States, indicating this is not a localised trend. Current data does not indicate that these variants lead to more severe illness than other variants in circulation. As increases in hospitalisations are rising in line with overall increases in COVID-19 circulation – rather than rising sharply on their own – this suggests a general increase in COVID-19 activity rather than a variant causing more severe disease. As we move into winter, colder and wetter weather means people spend more time indoors, which enables the spread of respiratory viruses. It has also been roughly a year since the last significant COVID-19 wave, so immunity from vaccination and previous infection may be waning in parts of the population, making people more susceptible. If you’re eligible please get vaccinated.

The Measles outbreak continues but is slowing. Parents should get children vaccinated and check children’s vaccination status.  In 2026 to 14 September 1003 English measles cases have been confirmed, exceeding the 2025 total of 959. Two children and one adult have died of measles in 2026. Essex remains in danger. Updated reports about this outbreak are now being published on a monthly basis; the next is due on 15 October.

2026 Flu vaccinations started in September for pregnant women and children aged 2yrs+. From 1 October eligible others being: people aged 65+, immunocompromised people and their close contacts, adults with certain long-term conditions, care home residents and carers, can book. You’ll get a GP invitation.

2026 COVID-19 vaccinations will be offered to those:

• aged 75+ (including those 75 by 31 January 2027);
• aged 6 months to 74 years with weakened immune systems;
• living in a care home for older adults.

You’ll get a GP invitation. Appointments will be from 1 October. Those eligible can book online or using the NHS App. Vaccinations will also be available at walk-in sites, community pharmacies and in care homes.

The August key performances of Broomfield, Basildon and Southend Hospitals were:

Emergency performance

70.2% (71.6% in July) of patients were seen, treated and either admitted or discharged within four hours in emergency departments. This is below the Trust’s 72.8% target for August. The performance nationally was 75% and for the East of England 74.3%.

• Ambulance handover times

The average time for ambulances to handover patients was 45 minutes (44 in July). This compares with 35 minutes across the East of England and 41 minutes nationally. The Trust aims to complete handovers in 23 minutes.

• Cancer diagnosis and the elective waiting list

67.5 per cent (68.2% in July) of patients received cancer diagnosis results within 28 days, against a standard of 80%, and 50.2% (54% in July) received their treatment within 62 days against a national target of 85%. This is a slight dip in both areas it’s recognised there is a lot of work to be done to get to where need to be. The Trust is committed to achieving this.

What is being done to improve?

Work continues across all three sites to help improve ambulance handover times, working closely with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The Trust’s emergency care improvement programme has introduced ED streaming, expanding Same Day Emergency Care services to seven days a week, improving ward rounds and supporting patients to be discharged as early as possible to help manage the pressures on the Emergency Departments.

The Trust is increasing capacity and improving cancer pathways so more patients can be diagnosed and treated sooner. It is also using data and closer monitoring to identify delays earlier and help reduce waiting times.

Carers supporting loved ones during a hospital stay at Broomfield, Basildon & Southend will now be easier to identify, thanks to the new carers’ badges being rolled out. They have been developed to help Trust staff easily recognise people that are caring for their loved ones.

Our local Hospitals’ Trust has launched a new phase in its improvement journey as it continues to improve services for patients, support the staff and strengthen our hospitals for the future. You can watch an informative video on what this means on their YouTube channel.

The improvement plan focuses on a small number of priorities that they know will make the biggest difference, including improving patient flow, making the best use of buildings and resources, supporting staff and ensuring improvements can be sustained over the long term.

Communication like this is welcome; it’s good to know improvements are being made.

Between now and March 2028 Martha’s Rule is being rolled out to all hospital A&E departments and waiting rooms to further boost patient safety for some of the most vulnerable patients. This will see patients, loved ones and staff in busy emergency departments able to call a dedicated Martha’s Rule phone number to trigger an urgent review if a patient’s condition is deteriorating and they are concerned this is not being listened to. While Martha’s Rule has to date been used to flag concerns for those already admitted to hospital, the landmark expansion sees the NHS put in place additional safeguards in A&E waiting rooms should any patient begin experiencing acute deterioration while they are in the department. This follows a pilot in seven trusts to test whether the escalation process could work safely and effectively in busy and fast-paced A&E environments; it did. Martha’s Rule is already in operation in other parts of our three local acute hospitals. Our weekly newsletter includes everything we’ve published on our website in the previous 7-days. Libraries provide online services and help with internet access. For welfare information and subscription to our newsletter, email swfhealthsocial@outlook.com or leave a voicemail on 01245 322079.